Time study training apparatus



July 22 1952 P. CARROLL, JR 2,603,887v

TIME STUDY TRAINING APPARATUS Filed Nov. l. 1947 i 4: l I i 5. Y PHILCARROLL, JR. T I mp/'Gm Patented July 22, 1952 ig-*UNITED 'STATE PhilCarroll,` Jr.; Maplewood, N. .A u Application Novemberi, 1947, serialNo. 783,601

'I'heinventionvrelates to educational apparatus foruse lin trainingtimestudy engineers to enable'- them to'v read a decimal-minute watch orsimilar short time sweep hand indicator correctly.

It is the present practice with timestudyengie y neers to observe'andmake atime chart ofthe actions of a skilled or average workman -doinga piece of routine work. The performance of operations onv apiece-ofwork not infrequently involves' J a .number of separate acts or`movements, known inthe artv as elements, and which total number ofelements'is hereinafter sometimes referredrto f as .an operation.Ordinarily the timestudy en-` gineer holds in the palm of his lefthand apadv of paper. and between his fingers a decimal min-y ute stop watch orequivalent shorttime sweep handindicator, and in his right hand heholds. ay pencil poised on the pad. He observes the termination of eachact, step, hand movement, event or element performed by the workman incompleting the operation under. observationvwhile he holdsy the watchinline with his eye and with the work under observation. The engineerpresses the 4watch starter button at the end of each precedingA event orelement and thus at the beginning'of `each subsequent element;.notes thereading `of the watch sweep hand and jots down on the pad the number ofhundredthsl of a minute consumed. durlngeach particularevent or elementof theycomplete operation. The Awatch of course snapsvback to: itszero-position `at eachr pressing of its starter button and immediatelystartsagain on its travel about the watch dial. TheA stop-start buttonis again pressed at the termination of a second step, event or elementand so on, the engineer pressing the :watch controlling button at theend of each element in the completev sequence of steps until` theoperation under .observation is completed. Usually this is doneseveral'times to obtain the' correct answer tov the 'basic inquiry astohow much time was consumedy in performing the several elementswhiclrmade upkthe complete operation.l

.It :has been found in practice thatthere is a material variation in theobservations of different engineers or other testers while observing andrecording identicallythe same operation even under those conditionswhere the operation isperformed mechanicallyand without human effort.vAlso the l accuracy of observation varies from time totime amongdifferent observers and is apparently de'- pendent largelyupon the skillof the tester iny his abilityfto coordinate the actual instant'oftimewhen an observed element terminates, with-such terminations as areindicated by his watch readings. The highly skilled tester is quitelaccurate,

even to the hundredth of a minute in noting theY lapsedtime duration-ofelements` and this in turn.

is dependent upon'the observers skill in mentally anticipatingthe-termination of each'step or ele-k ment, so that he is able to pressthe watch button, u

more or less. exactly at the termination of each step and the' greaterthe skill developed in anticipating the actual termination of eachelementthe less becomes anytime lag which he himself mightintroducebefore'he operateshis Watch'and thus` unintentionallyintroduced into' his chart.-

It iis 'appreciated' that different complete opera-I tions -may involveal large number of steps, events or elements; sometimes only four orlve,usuallyV twentyltorthirty, and not .infrequently several*- hundredelements are .performed by the mechanic;y oftenquickly-one after the.other and in effecta's. a continuous movementu Itis.E also appreciatedthat .thetime length or time `lapseA durationzof anyone of the severalelements arene'ver; korat v least very seldom, ofthe Sametime duration.and this' tendsV to. introduce .a3 factor of uncerta'intyfr into theminds Vof the testers and tends .to constitute. a source of. error inthe recorded times.. y For an illustration suppose thelfirst.step,.eveni' or element of--the mechanic isto, pick up a. Work l blank;the second step is to insertLthe blank ina fth step is. to .removethefinishedy workifro'm thel jig, -work holderor. other: machine part;thef'third stepis .to drill the blank; the fourthv stepis to withdrawthe tool from the nishedworkand the Suppose asan actualimattler offact'andignoring any errors due to any personal equation, thatV itactually takes a total of 0.47 of a minute to complete one operation,divided as V`fol1ow's:f0.06 7 minute to pick up the blank, 0-.07 minuteto place it in the machine, 0.15- minute tov drill it; 021-3 minutetorwithdraw the' toolfrom theworkfand sible'margin of error,"say .0025'of aminute.- l 7 .Tneprimary object-ofthe invenuonjis; to' pio: 1 videVapparatus for. use in a course of training for' the initiallyunskilledtester 'or ystudent so`-1zliatV eventually in usingthe apparatus asherein" dise' closed he willnbecome so skilled and accurate inascertainling'v timea'lapsesf the' different steps,Y events or`elementsf'of an: observation*operation i that his readings willbe.correctglorfdiiferently exi pressedhe will be able toiininimizeyerrorsiwhich might otherwise be introduced into his readings due to hispersonal mental lag or to delay between theinstant an event actuallyoccurs due to his muscular reaction or otherwise caused to stop the therunning of his stop watch.

Broadly this objective is attained by causing Y the student undertraining as hereinafter featured to operate a decimal minute or stopwatch, hour aftervhour, while he observes ,andv make record of preparedventsz'or elements'iwlfii'ch*A take place before"- him;y and thet'ruetime'lapse of which elements is known to theinstructor, so that it ispossible for the instructor to compare the chartL of time intervalspresented by the'rstudent with the correct answers known to theinstructor, and in this way ascertain the progress Vmade by the. studentas he progressively becomesfmoreand more skilled in his approach toaccuracy ob-V serving the simulated sequence of events.`

The primary object of the invention insofar as its apparatus aspectiisconcerned is to provide a simple form of lapsed time. indicatingmachine,characterized inthatafmovable indicator is Vdividedinto distinctive.yareas dimensionedinthe;V

direction of travel .of the4 indicator to represent lapsed time inaseries of simulated events or elements and which indicator may bereplaced inr ferently coloredsections, and Fig. 5 is a view 'L-largelyin vertical section of portions of an apvfp aratus resembling a motionpicture projector for advancing a film and employing the film of Fig.4."y

y vReferring rst tothe disclosure of the preferred form of apparatusshown in Figs. 1 to 3, there the-machine fromtime to time to vary Atheproblem presented to thestudent. Y v There is. disclosed herewithv twoYsuggested forms of such apparatus. In the preferred form,

ofapparatus the movable. indicator is in the form-` of a revolving disk,motor driven through speed'l controlled elements and in whichy thediskis madeup of a plurality of colored segments'preferably segmentsA ofcoloredglass, with, different arc lengths anddisposed :to form `acircular disk mounted to move pastfand in momentary registry;v with afixed indicator hereinafter: sometimes re-v ferred to as a zeroindicator.

In V`the other form of apparatus themovable indicator is one. ofi asetof flexible strips resemblingv motion picture iilms' and provided with vcolored areas vfed pastV axed indicator. alsov referred to as a Zeroindicator.V In this. case the iilm4 is advanced by a film :advancing`machine resembling a. motion picture projector also provided withspeedcontrollingfeatures.

Variousi otherobjects and advantages of the invention willbe in part`obvious from a con.- sideration ofthe method featuresA of the dis-`closureandfromr ancinspectionV of the accom- Darwins drawing andvinfpart will be. morefully.` set forth in the followingparticulardescription ofv one method of practicing the invention, and the`invention also consistsin certain-newpand novel modifications ofthepreferred ,method and of y other features of construction andcombination oiparts, hereinafter set forth and-claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings:

j Fig. 1 is a composite view includingv a perspective showing of oneformofapparatus` for' use in practicing the method aspect ofk thisdis-:.ilosure,vr and which apparatus` is f shown in ythe form of a portablebox Varrangedto *.beicarried` about conveniently 'from place to placeand with parts ofits rotating time indicating diskfbroken awayy to *shownormally hidden details of; construction, and there lisalso. disclosed adecimal; minutewatch for use therewith;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical. sectional .viewv taken throughtheapparatusof Fig.z1 in its-longitudinal medial plane'. and I with theparts therein* shown somewhatdiagrammatically; Y

is'disclsed a box-like container l0 provided on its upper side with ahandle Il by means of which the apparatus. may be convenientlyportedjahout from ,place toplace Where needed. y 'Ihe znear-f` rightside of the container asshown-ingFig. Lisi;

recessed and the bottom-0f the recess defined by" an upstanding, insetpanel Vboard l2 formingpne side of a rectangularmechanism.containinggcom- Y partment |3'within the-container.I Therecessis closedrby a hinged cover AIll andthe c overiis-.se-`

cured, in` closedA position by Yaf spring@k catch .15," :The `frontsidei6 of. the'containerl0 formsrva.. light screen and is providedV at' itsupper portion withI a narrow vertically extending slot'zll.4 dis# posedtov direct a beam vofjlight from an incan descent lamp I8 containedwithin the housingzand coacting therewith to form. a highly illuminatedslot isV hereinafter. sometimes referredit'ni` as af zero indicator. Aparabolic reector I91secured to theV rear wall, 20. of theA containeractstocol-f. lect light from the source I8 and 'to project ay highlyluminous beamof light through the. narrow crack-,like slot Il.V It isth'eintentfhereto` present `a bright .line ofi light: as the fixed.zero" indicator at the twelve oclock position'of thel disk hereinafterdescribed and which indicator will be easily visibleV through thecolored disk which at all times is illuminated bythefenviron` mentallight in lthe room inwhich the apparatusi operates so'as to be visibleto the student.V

A multi-color disk 20. is mounted to rotatelin advanceof the front side4I6 and. itsfzercforming--r slot l1 and is designed .to-be exposed toviewand visible to the studentl located in front of the yap= disk 2l isprovided at its center withna squareaperture 2liV fitted over thesquaredlshaft-'end 22. The support 2| is. demountably held.: in placesby a retractile spring 25;:flttedfin and normally projecting from theshaft end'22.. Thesshafti23 extends through. and is supported from-theffr'ont^` side I6 by means of ananti-frictionmountingff 26. Theshaft 23 andwith `it the'disk.2|lJ is driven'L from van electric motor2J -mountedffwi'thin -th'e`- compartment i 3 and .the yspeed' of whichmotor-fis* g controlled bya'rheostatrZBz. Thel'control knob- 2liJN ofthe rheostat.v is mounted inthe panel' board-I 25- and zreadily.;yaccessible for. manipulation byv ther instructor when the cover is inthe open posit-,1911; showninFig. 1.-,v y

Figs isa fragmentary view largelyA infirme-mf: As the motorcastrated-iis' .preferstiy?A fl-a high speed type; and itisdesredintheinstantcase to Arotate the, disk 2 3 at relativelylow speed areducing geardrivefis locatedbetween the motor and the disk shaft V23.In the-case.

illustrated the motor `shaft ,30 -iscconnectedto an intermediate shaft3l through aworm gear drive 32 .and the intermediate shaft 3l `is con--nected to the disk' shaft 23 by means .ofa reducing gear drive 33. Itisunderstood from this construction that the motor vspeed can be regulatedand changed from time to timeby vthe instructor manipulating therheostatso that the disk A20 willbe rotated at that- Speed Whichis best suitedfor the skill ofthe student for, the

segments permanently fixed thereto and tore-v place the disk in use fromtime to time with other similar disks but with different arrangements-yofthe colored segment so as to form different patterns andin this way tovary the problem presented to the student. It is preferable,'how ever,to arrange the disk so that the segments maybe replaced or rearrangedfrom timepto time as may be desired by theinstructon purpose the frontof the plastic support 2I is provided with an outer retaining rim 35which is Z-shaped lin cross-section. The rim 35 includes an outwardlyprojecting flange 36 and an inwardly facing flange 31 dimensioned foroverlapping Iand thus engaging the outer edges of the segments- 34andwhich rim 35 is demountably secured in position by screws 38 passingthrough the flange 36 and, into the marginal edge of the supporti 2l.Similarly at the hub or center of thesupport is an inner rim 39 likewiseZ-shaped in cross-section. The rim A32! includes an outstanding annularange 40 for underlapping and thus engaging the inner perimeters of thesegments 34 and which rimv 39 is secured in place by screws v4I passedthrough an inwardly extending ,angej42 and into the support 2l outwardlyof its aperture 24. Y

Itis a feature of this disclosure that the segments be if dierent arclengths andthat they be'of different colors and are Ausually arrangedwith highly distinctive colors abutting to form very definite and easilyvisualized lines of de-y For this position in advance of the disksimilar tothat occupied by theA skilled engineerin observinganvmarcationnldening the joints between each ad 1 jacent pairs of segmentsand hereinafter sometimes called time factors. For instance in thefragmentary; viewshown in Fig. 3 and considering they segmentsclockwise, vsegment-43 is blue; 44 is red, 45 is yg`reen,\and 4611sbrown. These segments are sufficiently transparent `and so arrangedrelative `to the slot I1 forming the zero indicator that the severalindicators will be at all timesvisible to they student as he looksat theyrevolving, disk. .The lines of demarcatiomsuch as the radial -line 41between the blue segment' 43 and the red segment 44, are so proportionedin their lengthdimensionsthat when they'freach. their twelve oclockposition theywill register exactly o ne after the other, in

line of demarcation reaches, coincides with yand isabouf'to pass .thesame-Y AS thev 11net. 0i def marcati@ .are :formed y by the jointure @i.the

contrasting colors `ofthe adjacent blan spaces it follows that the lineshave no width .dimenf slotsfl'l Aand 52` must havefsufl'cient width topermit lthe light beam to pass therethroughfte form the desired bright,fixed indicator. v Viliile the intent here is to make the slots of theleast practical Width toA form Hthe' indicator, the slots,

and thus the xed indicator, are ofcourse of' greater Width than thelines of'n'o width-'diimension.v 1t follows then thatv at aninstant oftime each line o fdemarcatin 7is moreI or; less, centered betweenopposite,. vdefinitelyv forrrie'd edges of .the fixed luminous indicatorYthe highly skilled operator, Watching for the phenomenon,.

can often detect theinstant simultaneous appearance of .two streaks oflight, one oneach sidey of the. momentarily registering linev of denmarcation. Another and very important f eature of this d the time beingat thetwelve .oclock position or at least' its'terminal line yofdemarcation appreaching the zero indicator be visible to the student sothat he can clearly see the approach of eachline vof demarcation for'sometimebefo're it actually reaches the zero 'mark orindicator at l1.The motor 2 1 with its rheostat 28,the lamp I8, thecontrol switch SWland socket S- are in# eluded in a wired circuitv (not shown) Inoperation and assuming that the apparatus I has been plugged into thehouse current at the socket S, and that the rheos'tatknob/ZS hasv been Aset to give the speed desiredby the instructor` for the particularstudentv for the time using the apparatus, and that one of a selectedset of disks 20 is in position, the student assumes va operation inactual practice,` inthatthe student likewise holds a padiof paper'and adecimal minute watch DM in one handl and alperic'il or'A pen in theother hand. 'The'disk 2B will be' set in motion by,closing the mainswitch SW oirth'e panel board and permitted to rotate until it reachesconstant'speed. 'The student starts the Watch and observes eachsucceeding radial line. of demarcation`4'1 as it approaches its twelveVoclock position, and when 'it exactlycoincide'sf with the slot of lightforming the zero indicator he presses 'the watch controlbutton B,readingv the indicatorsweep hand SH at the instant it stops advancingand notes on his pad the exact time as indicated by the advance ofthesweep hand which the current segment took to reach the zero indicator.This is repeated foreach succeedingsegment to thatv finally Vthe sevtionin his readings both for each'V eventand for the complete operation`'assuresv'himl that he is at least approaching `the correctly' timedobservations. The instructor compares the students readings lso producedwith/theA chart-'of y known correcttimes for that vparticular disk,

and notes whenever the student varies from a f true reading. Forinstance, in the illustration above noted when the true total lapsedltime should be.0.37 of a minute the'students observed Y alimen? with/;h e zre1- f indieatoigll` as each- .75 readings should .correspondquite closely to the is; closure is that preferably theen'tire segmentfor 9 lapsed time since the next preceding line coincided with the'xedindicator.

2; The'device defined in-'claim 1 in which :the two spaces Abetween atleast;one set of three of the succeeding lines are differently coloredand of'different widths measured` in the direction of travel of saidtraveling indicator and in which the T,two colored spaces at their'jointure form the middle of the three lines asa'distinct thin `line ofdemarcation having practically no width dimension and functioning as adeiinite reading' line to indicate the termination of` one event and thestart of the succeeding event.

3. In a device for training students under the guidance of an instructorto improve their accuracy irl-making a chart ofstop watch readings ofthe succeeding events of a simulatedfoperation and in which the eventsare greater than four, the combination of means4 forming a beam'of lightconstituting a fixed, luminousy indicator, an'indicator oftransparent.materialguided for movement in one direction across' theluminous indicator, provided with a plurality ofV indicants eachdesignating the termination 'f :one event and the start of thesucceeding event, said indicants being spacedapart variableldistancesintheir direction of movement and the distancestherebetween beingindicative of the relative time lapses which the events consumeinpassing the luminous indicator, said indicants being of less dimensionthan that of the luminous indicator as both are measured in thedirection of movement of the indicator, means forming an instructorsstation including means for driving the movable indicator and a controleasily accessible to the operator for varying at will the speed of themovable indicator.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a containerhaving a long, narrow slot opening throughrone wall thereof, a shaftJournaled in said wall, extending therethrough adjacent the slot andprovided at its outer end with means for replaceably mounting a diskthereonv to be driven thereby, mechanism housed within the container fordriving the shaft selectively at one of a plurality of constant speeds,a flat disk of transparent material located in advance of said wall andconnected by said mounting means to the shaft to be rotated thereby,said disk divided into a plurality of segments with all the segmentsexposed to View at all times, each adjacent pair of segments being ofcontrasting colors and forming therebetween straight, thin lines ofdemarcation extending radially of the disk and successively registeringwith the slot as the disk rotates, at least one of the segments havingan arc distance different from the arc distance of one of its nextadjacent segments, and means housed within the container for projectinga beam of light through the slot and through the segments as they movepast the slot to form a bright,luminous, denitely deiined fixedindicator visible through the segments as they move past the fixedindicator.

5. Apparatus for use in training time-study students to improve theiraccuracy in reading a stop watch,including a container, an annular diskcarried by the container exteriorly thereof, extending vertically andmounted for rotary movement about a horizontal axis, said diskcomprising differently colored transparent segments in edge-to-edgeabutting relation and the entire distinctive and easily followed radialline vof demarcation having such width dimension as would area of eachsegment being at all times exposed be formed by ay joint between thedifferent abutting segments, said container including a yWall locatedback of the disk, saidV wall provided with a long, narrow slot withwhich' the lines of demarcation exactly register 1in 'parallelism oneafter the other as the disk is rotated, means within the container fordirecting abeam of light throughthe slot to form a bright, luminous,.ilxed indicator visible through thev several colored segments as theypass the same,'an electric motor for driving the disk, and a control forresetting said motor speed to provide at will fora dierentdisk speed. if'l l 6. Apparatus for.v use .in training time-study students toimprovertheir accuracy in'reading a stop'watchto measure the vtimedurationof'a plurality of elements .or events which go Ato make up anoperation, said apparatus including a structural wall forming a.iixedopaque screen provided with a long,` narrow slot, a movableindicator fashioned to pass in front of the slot and presenting aplurality of colored areas each representing by its length in thedirection of travel of ,the movable indicator the lapsed time of one ofthe events of a simulated operation and collectively representing thesum of the lapsed time duration of all of the events which go to make upthe simulated operation, the areas forming adjacent pairs being ofkcontrasting colors and forming therebetween straight, easily visiblelines of demarcation of less width than theslot, means in rear of thewall for directing a beam of light through the slot to form a long,flat, xed, luminous indicator visible as a line through the movableindicator, said lines of the movable indicator, one after the other,vregistering with the slot for an instant time, and power means foradvancing the movable indicator through said beam of light.

'7. The article defined in claim 6 in vwhich the movable indicator is amulti-colored disk whose blank colored areas are of segmental form andof various arc lengths and whose lines of demarcation extend inrelatively radial directions.

8. Apparatus for use in preparing a record in fractions of a standardunit of time, of the time lapses of a series of elements of a simulatedoperation in the training of students to read and operate a stop watch,which is calibrated into fractionsI of a standard unit of time fordirect reading, said apparatus including a display de- 'vice forsimulating the time duration of the elements of an operation, saiddevice including a screen provided with a long slot openingtherethrough, a movable indicator of transparent material formed with aplurality of blank areas of different colors in edge-to-edge relationwith adjacent blank areas being differently colored to provide lines ofdemarcation, means for directing a beam of light through the slot andthrough the indicator to form a luminous, fixed indicator visible from aposition in advance of the display device as athin, bright line, meansfor moving the indicator and with it the colored areas at l`agpresetspeed across the beam'of light from thefslot, each colored areadimensioned in its direction of travel when at such speed to passtheslot inaA 9. An article of manufacture `constituting a movable indicatorfor use as areplaceable unit in a projection machine of the type inwhich the indicator moves across a narrow. ilat beam of parallelle: each.othenm spaeeclba'part relatif-m `ad; rightzanglegto .the :leegte f Y Y""PHILiQARBOUeyR Number 1,-1993980 A1,351,562 5 11,423,089

vl0 51,851,587 1,931,445 1,948,633 1,953,954 2307.1284 1m-804 K Name Y ADet/ef Gilbretih- "Oct.'3=, 1916 lostorA Aug. k311, 11920 CushmanJu1y.1\8=,1922 "Doane Sept-.19,19% Jones- Apr. 28,"1'925 *'O-{Gradyf Y1Mar. i3, l1931 Liltbleeld fMay 10, 1932 Darling IVIEa-yY 10, 111932Smith Nov-.'25, 1933 "Rogers fEeb. *27", 1934 Constable 1 Apr. 1:011'934'Hyland -1"ebv."16, 21937 Neville oct. 3, 1939 'Silva Dec. 10p-15%()`'Brown Get; '28, :1941 V'Gandl June 30, 1942 ,"Kornei Feb. 27,1945Konei Feb. L9, 11946 PATENTS @mmm :Date

Enaneeinwm1w .Semx-M, 19.2.9"

OTHER REFERENCES Popular VAMieellenica. Magazine, page 4.0, .lune

